Brief Bio
Elizabeth Partridge is an American author of books for both adults and young readers, including biographies of Dorothea Lange, John Lennon, and Woody Guthrie. Her books have received many honors, including National Book Award finalist, BolognaRagazzi Special Photography Award, Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, ALA Printz Honor, and Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.
Longer bio
Growing up I was equal parts tomboy and bookworm. There were lots of books around, lots of trees and animals and camping trips. There were also photographs everywhere, as I was right in the middle of a large, extended San Francisco Bohemian family of photographers. Some used their photographs to bear witness to the problems in our world, eager to create social change. Others wanted to capture moments of stillness and beauty. This was a world where creative muses flourished. My muse gave me the joy of words.
Infusing all my writing are these yin-and-yang opposites of enjoying transcendent beauty and yet bearing witness to hard times. I write about artists of all kinds: photographers, musicians, and painters. I’m drawn to pivotal moments in our American history that have been erased from our narrative. I use photographs to illustrate my longer work, and love turning a picture book manuscript over to an illustrator to see how they will make beautiful art to go with my words.
I was the first woman to graduate with a degree in Women’s Studies from UC Berkeley, and later I studied traditional Chinese medicine. I was an acupuncturist for more than twenty years before closing my medical practice to write full-time.
Today I live in a three-generation household with kids, grandkids, cats, dogs, and a backyard full of fruit trees. My home office is the quietest room in the house and I’m still part-tomboy and part-bookworm.
